This R13 application seeks funds to provide 25 travel awards of $500 each to the most promising trainee investigators (Graduate Students, Residents, Clinician-Scientist / Post-Doctoral Trainees and faculty below the rank of Assistant Professor) and to increase representation by Underserved Minorities of this status to attend and participate in the 22nd Annual Fall Symposium of the Society for Basic Urological Research (SBUR) to be held November 15th-18th in Miami, FL.. The SBUR is a society of scientists and physician- scientists specializing in research on the normal and pathological conditions of tissues of the human genitourinary (GU) tract. GU developmental anomalies and diseases afflict males and females, young and old, and cost the US approximately $11 Billion a year in health costs. The overall objective of the annual Symposium is to share new findings at a multidisciplinary level, to promote interaction among members and other interested scientists, to inspire and promote the success of trainee scientists, and to highlight new areas of research and funding opportunities. This year, the theme of the Symposium is The 25th Anniversary of the SBUR: Looking Back to Move Forward. The specific goals of this Symposium are: 1) to inspire young and established investigators to utilize current knowledge in the field to advance the frontiers of basic and translational urologic research; 2) to promote and advance the careers of new investigators in the field of urologic research; 3) to provide a forum for networking, interaction, and establishing new collaborations between investigators focused in GU development and disease those from other disciplines, and 4) to celebrate the excellence, depth, and diversity of basic urologic research pursued by the members of the organization. Research topics that will be covered during the Symposium include: Genomically-Driven Mechanisms that Promote GU Pathobiology and Disease; Autophagy and Apoptosis in GU Pathobiology; Translational Research in Genitourinary Disease, and Tissue Microenvironment in GU Development and Disease. A special session, Mentors and Trainees: Inspiration and Success, will comprise parallel talks by selected distinguished senior investigators intended to provide perspective on mentoring trainees and pursuing long-term, successful research in GU development and disease, and by selected trainees of those mentors to provide perspectives on how their own research focus evolved, and what they learned from their mentors that helped with their career development and success. All invited speakers are leaders in their respective fields, offering extensive knowledge and experience to the audience. Selection of travel awardees will proceed through a defined process whereby applicants are ranked by the Abstract Review Sub-Committee, which works with the Executive Council of the SBUR to issue individual awards to promising and exceptional Trainee applicants. The Executive Council ensures effective representation of both genders in the awardees and, through a specific campaign, seeks applicants of Underrepresented Minority populations. If funded, this project will contribute to the educational objectives of the meeting by enhancing participation of bright and promising Junior Investigators, Physician- Scientist and Postdoctoral Trainees and Students and increase participation in research by members of underserved minority Trainees. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The Society for Basic Urological Research (SBUR) hosts an annual Symposium that seeks to advance basic and translational scientific research focused on human genitourinary (GU) development and disease. This year's topic is: The 25th Anniversary of the SBUR: Looking Back to Move Forward, and the goals of the Symposium are to present cutting-edge research by leading investigators and promising trainees focused on cellular mechanisms driving genomic alterations, apoptosis, autophagy, or cell-cell communication that promote GU developmental anomalies or disease. The project requests funds to provide 25 small travel awards of $500 each to facilitate the travel of exceptional and promising trainees to the Symposium who will be selected based on a review of scientific priority and impact based upon a submitted abstract and consideration of career goals. A subset of these awards (5) will be targeted to minority applicants to increase participation. This project will facilitate the abilty of promising young investigators to pursue high-impact, innovative research that will improve understanding the pathobiology, and improving the diagnosis and treatment, of GU developmental anomalies and disease.